St Neots secondaries: catchments, OFSTED and indies (yes we're considering everything!)

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

We're probably moving to the area but I'm a bit worried about schools. The local secondary would be Ernulf Academy and it doesn't look great at all and the results for Longsands didn't look brilliant either although their OFSTED was miles better.

How strict are the catchments? Are there other schools locally worth looking at? We would consider independent and schools a bit of a journey away but would much prefer somewhere they could get to under their own steam because that also means friends can get to us too and their social life won't be limited.

I prefer co-ed (and state if I'm honest!) but would consider single sex and dh is open to indies having been to one himself and less of an old leftie than me I have one dd and one ds.

All advice appreciated :)

Hi. I don't know anything really about the state schools but independent wise you have kimbolton just up the road plus the harpies trust, Rushmoor and at Andrews in Bedford plus all of the Cambridge schools.

Thank you! I had a look at Kimbolton. Annoyingly it looks like there's no suitable public transport to and from the school but that might change I suppose and it's not a deal breaker.

My daughter has just started at Bedford Girls School and I think there maybe transport from St Neots but not sure ....What I would say is have a look at Sandy Upper School - I would not have said this a few months ago but having been in Special Measures they have managed to turn the school around in 12 months to a Good School that will surely be Outstanding shortly - 82% A-C with Maths and English in the first year of changed management ....This is a school that looks to have very strong management now...and will probably be the best performing school in the area ...they are just down the road from St Neots but still an Upper School at the moment so intake Yr 9

Thanks Lottys that's really useful. I suppose independent gives us choices that state doesn't. But oh my, my old lefty soul is conflicted!

How near to St Neots do you plan to be? My dh commutes from St Neots but we live in a village nearer to Cambridge, and in the catchment for Comberton Village College. We are really happy with the school. It takes dh just over 15 minutes to drive to St Neots station.

Longsands gets mixed reports. I don't know anyone with dc there though. I've got a friend with dc at Kimbolton who is not very impresssed with it.

Ofsted reports arent the be all and end all of everything. When we were moving I was nervous about Comberton Village College, despite it being Ofsted outstanding, as it seemed so huge. But we visited, and I was very taken with its pastoral care and individual support, which has proved brilliant.

Do go and visit all the possible schools, it might be that one which doesn't seem great on paper is the right fot for your dc.

We plan to be in Eynesbury. Our catchment secondary (Ernulf) is currently rated as inadequate and also seems to have a terrible reputation locally. Longsands is rated good but their results seem very low considering the demographic - I also came across some of their former pupils via work and I was rather underwhelmed.

I know OFSTED isn't everything but when it comes to a school rated inadequate that's pretty damning and pupils failing to reach their potential is totally unacceptable and I don't think there's anything I could see on a visit that would reassure me on that score - it needs a much deeper investigation to assess progress.

That said a lot can change in 5 years :)

But my concern is that the catchments are strict and there won't be any choice so we need to think now.

Hi Movingon, I live in a village near Sandy, lots of teens seem to go private in Bedford, which I've only every heard of as being good.

The secondary in Sandy seems to have been in a bad way for a while and many people here in the past have sent their DC to the secondary in Biggleswade or Shefford, but as said above the school have done amazingly well this year and based on their results would be the best school in the area.

I wish I knew parents with children there as I would love to know more about it ( could be an option for Ds2 for 6th form), but I would need to see a few more years worth of good results to be sure it was going to stay that way as there have been so many changes.

One of DC1 friends has gone to a new state school in Bedford for 6th form and it seems to be working out well, I don't know the name of the school though.

Re catchment their is a catchment area map on the Central Bedfordshire website, but I think there is possibilities to go to out of catchment schools as they are not always over subscribed (that of course doesn't apply to the likes of Sharnbrook) it does seem quite flexible though compared to the bun fight I had before we moved from London, mind you I didn't go through the application process, so I'm not best placed to comment.

Good luck with your move.

Kimbolton does have a bus from St Neots and friends visitibg can mostly be accommodated it seems. Would you consider weekly boarding?